System Bits: Jan. 3


Clues to high-temp superconductivity Offering clues about the microscopic origins of high-temperature superconductivity, physicists at Rice University’s Center for Quantum Materials (RCQM) have created a new iron-based material. The material is a formulation of iron, sodium, copper and arsenic created by Rice graduate student Yu Song in the laboratory of physicist Pengcheng Dai. The recip... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Jan. 3


Paper-based bacteria battery Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have created a bacteria-powered battery on a single sheet of paper that can power disposable electronics. The manufacturing technique reduces fabrication time and cost, and the design could revolutionize the use of bio-batteries as a power source in remote, dangerous and resource-limited areas. ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Dec. 27


Coffee ring effect In physics, the “coffee ring effect" has been the subject of study for years. This phenomenon is a simple concept. A liquid or droplet hits a surface and dries. The particles in the droplet are suspended. And ultimately, it leaves a ring-like pattern. The phenomenon is named for the formation of a ring-like deposit when coffee or other liquid resides on a surface. ... » read more

System Bits: Dec. 27


Melting quantum crystal of electrons Confirming a fundamental phase transition in quantum mechanics that was theoretically proposed more than 80 years ago but not experimentally documented until now, MIT researchers reported that they’ve observed a highly ordered crystal of electrons in a semiconducting material and documented its melting, much like ice thawing into water. The team said i... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 27


Tiny diamond radio Researchers at Harvard built the world's smallest radio receiver, built out of an assembly of atomic-scale defects in pink diamonds. The radio uses tiny imperfections in diamonds called nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. To make NV centers, researchers replace one carbon atom in a diamond crystal with a nitrogen atom and remove a neighboring atom -- creating a system that i... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Dec. 20


3D printed wind instruments Autodesk Research and Dartmouth have developed a 3D printing technology that enables novel musical wind instruments in the form of animals, doughnuts and other shapes. With a 3D printer, researchers devised 16 free-form wind instruments in various shapes, such as a star, bunny, snowman, dragon, horse, pig, cat and sheep. There is even a way to make a doughnut in... » read more

System Bits: Dec. 20


Removing quasiparticles from superconducting quantum circuits improves lifetime Given that an important prerequisite for the realization of high-performance quantum computers is that the stored data should remain intact for as long as possible, an international team of scientists at European interdisciplinary research institute Forschungszentrum Jülich has succeeded in making further improvem... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 20


Stamping with electronic ink Engineers at MIT fabricated a stamp made from carbon nanotubes that is able to print electronic inks onto rigid and flexible surfaces. The team's stamping process should be able to print transistors small enough to control individual pixels in high-resolution displays and touchscreens, said A. John Hart, associate professor of contemporary technology and mecha... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Dec. 13


Phonon lasers A European consortium recently kicked off a new project that will develop a practical phonon laser. The European consortium, called PHENOMEN, will be coordinated by the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2). Most chips perform functions using an electrical charge (electrons) or by light (photons). In comparison, a phonon “is a quantum of energy or a q... » read more

System Bits: Dec. 13


Data, code sharing standards for computational studies While reporting new research results involves detailed descriptions of methods and materials used in an experiment, when a study uses computers to analyze data, create models or simulate things that can’t be tested in a lab, how can other researchers see what steps were taken or potentially reproduce results? To this end, a new report by... » read more

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